Science and technology in South Africa

The first significant work in astronomy in South Africa was performed by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille between 1751 and 1753, culminating in the measurement of the arc of the southern meridian and a catalog of almost 10 000 southern stars, later published as Coelum Australe Stelliferum. The Royal Observatory was established at the Cape of Good Hope in 1820 and opened in 1829.